


Fragile Souls

by stansebstan



Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: Afterlife, Multi, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23706376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stansebstan/pseuds/stansebstan
Summary: Apparently, soulmates are a thing. Every human being on Earth has someone who’s soul matches theirs exactly. But here’s the thing - unlike in most fiction, there is no way to find out who your soulmate is while you’re alive. Unless, by some incredible twist of fate, you get lucky enough and meet them during your time on Earth, the first time you meet them is after your death.The afterlife is a complex system of small towns designed perfectly for their residents. Each of the people have been put there for a reason, and they are to spend an eternity there, either being punished for their bad deeds on Earth or living in paradise. Or sometimes, something in between. That’s where soulmates meet.But sometimes, no matter how hard the afterlife designers try, it’s not perfect. Sometimes, one of the soulmates doesn’t want a soulmate. Sometimes, those who have been suffering on Earth can’t bear the idea of being eternally happy.
Relationships: Chidi Anagonye/Eleanor Shellstrop, OFC/OFC, OFC/OMC
Comments: 13
Kudos: 18





	1. William

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank my beta readers, vodka-and-some-sass and inspired-snowflace from Tumblr, and nerdywriter36 from here (and also Tumblr heh), for helping me make this readable.

“You, William Cedric Alden, are dead.”

He was sitting in a cosy chair in what appeared to be an office with beige coloured walls and large windows with flower pots on the sills.  _ Orchids, _ he thought as the faint floral aroma hit his nose. There were more plants and flowers, but he didn’t know their names. There was a portrait of a young man on the wall between the two windows. The rest of the artwork were abstract paintings that he couldn’t make sense of. For some reason, he smelled coffee cake, but it didn’t have a source. There was just an ever-present scent in the air, surrounding him and calming him down.

He felt as if he was in a dream. He wasn’t even sure how he got there.

Staring at the man in front of him, he realised that he was saying something. 

“I- I’m sorry?” he asked.

“No, not sorry, William.  _ Dead _ ,” the man corrected him. “Your life on Earth has ended and you’re now in the next phase of your existence in the universe.”

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s completely normal. That’s why I’m here,” the man smiled.

William looked him over. If he assumed he was human, he would guess the man was in his sixties, but William knew better than to do that. His hair was perfectly white and his skin resembled parchment in a way. His eyes were large, but he wasn’t sure if it was because of the glasses he was wearing or if they were just like that. He was wearing a purple striped suit with a shirt of a lighter shade and a bow tie with a floral pattern.

“But… who are you?” he frowned. “Are you some kind of… manifestation taken from my mind? My ancestor or something?”

The man laughed. “Well, for starters, my name is Michael. No, I am not your ancestor nor am I taken from your mind. I kind of… run this place.”

“Michael? Archangel Michael?”

“Goodness, no!” he seemed to be getting more and more amused. “No, I’m not an angel. Or an archangel. I’m far from that,” he took a small pause. “Why don’t I show you around? I’m guessing you would appreciate some fresh air.”

“I think I would faint if I stood up now,” William said.

“Let me get you a glass of water then,” Michael suggested. “Janet?”

“Hi there!”

A woman suddenly appeared with a faint  _ bloop _ sound and a bright smile on her face, making William nearly fall off his chair and cuss under his breath.

“William, this is Janet,” Michael introduced her, completely ignoring the shocked expression on his face. “She’s sort of a… guide here. She’s here to help you get settled in, to get used to living in the afterlife. Anything you need, she can get you. She knows everything there is to know in the entire universe. Including everything about you.”

“Including  _ what _ now?”

“Janet, would you care to give us an example?” Michael asked her.

“Absolutely!” she replied with a cheery voice. “You were born in 1986 in Scotland. You have a twin sister who is exactly eleven minutes and thirty seven seconds older than you, which she used to mock you your entire life. You also have a younger sister, whom you have been protecting from bullies for years. You started doing theatre as a way to cope with your parents’ inevitable divorce. Your-”

“Okay okay okay stop,” William said. “I get it now. Can I get some water please?”

“Here you go,” Janet smiled and with another  _ bloop  _ sound, a glass of water materialised in her hand. William’s mouth hung slightly open as she handed it to him.

“I… thank you,” he stuttered.

“Is there anything else you need help with?”

“I-I’m not sure.”

“Then I will return to my void. If you need anything, just call my name.”

“Uh… okay. Thank you, Janet.”

“No problem.”

With one last  _ bloop, _ she was gone.

“So… dead,” William looked back at Michael, taking a sip of his water. “I’m dead. Alright. That’s okay. It’s clearly not as bad as I thought it would be. That’s great.”

“Well, you’re not the only one. No one has ever guessed what the afterlife is like. Apart from Doug, of course.”

“Doug?”

“Doug was a stoner kid in Calgary. In the 70’s, he and his friend got high on mushrooms and his friend asked  _ hey, what do you think happens when we die? _ And Doug went into this huge monologue where he got about 92 % correct.”

“So… what  _ is _ it like?”

Michael watched him for a moment, a small smile on his face. “You seem to be feeling better now. Let’s go for a walk, shall we?”

It was a small town with narrow streets that curved so much that seeing the end was completely impossible. The sun shone brightly but not so much that it would blind him, the air was warm and there was soft music playing from somewhere.

“I don’t want to assume, but…” William began. “This seems to me that I ended up in the… nicer side of the afterlife.”

“I’m glad you put it like this,” Michael nodded, greeting people who passed by them. “Most people would say  _ the good side. _ And it used to be correct. Not long ago, the afterlife was divided into a Good Place and a Bad Place. There was a point system. Good deeds got you points, bad deeds lost you some. It worked, or better put, it  _ used _ to work. But as humanity progressed and life got more and more complicated, so did trying to decide what was good and bad, because actions started having unintended consequences.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“Neither did I for quite some time. It’s okay,” Michael assured him. “Imagine you’re someone living hundreds and hundreds of years in the past. And you want to get your mother some roses. Where do you get them?”

“Probably in the garden.”

“You pick them.”

“Yes.”

“And now imagine you’re the same person, but in the twenty first century. Where do you get roses for your mother?”

“From the florist probably.”

“Can you see the difference?”

“No?”

“Hundreds of years ago, getting your mother roses got you about one hundred and forty five points. But now, in the twenty first century, it lost you four points. Because by buying them, you supported the use of pesticides, exploitation of migrants, a racist billionaire CEO who sends his female coworkers pictures of his genitals, and also left a huge carbon footprint, because the flowers had to be transported from thousands of miles away.”

William stayed silent, processing the facts. “That… that makes sense. But still, I don’t know what it means for me.”

“It means that if we didn’t change the system, you, along with the entire human race, would be forever rotting in the darkest depths of hell. Now, along with your actions and their consequences, your intentions and your morals can get you or lose you points as well, based on the circumstances, your options, and the environment you lived in. It’s incredibly complicated and it takes hundreds of thousands of millions-”

“You could have just said  _ billions. _ ”

“-Calculations that have to be all done without a single error. Otherwise humanity would suffer for eternity. Cupcake?”

“Wh- no, thank you.”

“Fair enough. After all, you will have plenty of time to try them all.”

With each step he took, the ground seemed to be swaying under his feet more and more, his head spinning.

“I need to sit down.”


	2. The thing about the afterlife

“Let me get this straight. I died.”

“Yes.” 

“I’m dead.”

“Very much so.”

“And this is… what’s next.”

“Exactly.”

“And I’m supposed to be here until the end of time.”

“Time doesn’t end, but yes. You won’t age, you’ll stay exactly like you are right now.”

“And I can’t go back to my life.”

Michael’s face sunk. He was so excited to welcome this new human into the afterlife and now he wants to go back? He worked so hard on making the afterlife fair and effective! That’s very rude.

“No. You’re here now and you’ll stay. But it’s not that bad!” Michael tried to reassure him. “As you said, this is the nicer side. Look at this place! You have been placed here specifically because we believe you will fit in here. Your house has been designed to exactly match your tastes. You’ll meet your soulmate soon. You-”

“My  _ what _ ?”

“House.”

“No, the other thing you said.”

“Soulmate. You, like every other person on Earth, have a soulmate. And you’ll meet them here! How can that not excite you?”

William seemed completely frozen. “What do you mean,  _ soulmate _ ?”

“To be honest, we don’t really understand the… science behind soulmates. There are multiple theories. I’m sure you’ve heard of some,” Michael explained. “One says that each human is actually only a half of a soul and the other half is the one they’re destined to be with. Another one says that soulmates actually have the same exact soul, that they’re the two sides of the same coin. There’s many many more. What we know is that soulmates are destined to live in perfect harmony, love and understand each other.”

“And is there any way for humans to find their soulmate on their own?” William frowned.

“You mean if there’s a tell?”

William nodded.

“No, unfortunately. In fiction, we see many different ways to find our soulmates, but in real life, there is no such thing. There is, of course, a very small chance that soulmates will meet on Earth and live a very happy life together, but they wouldn’t know they were soulmates until they die.”

“My fiancée-”

“No. She wasn’t your soulmate. I’m sorry, William.”

William stayed silent for a while, emotions battling in his mind. Somehow, the one that prevailed, was anger. His blood was boiling, his fists were clenched.

“So we spend our entire lives searching for love and it’s all for nothing? We invest our lives into people who we aren’t supposed to be with?”

“Don’t say it like that,” Michael scolded him. “All relationships shape you as a person and make your life more interesting.”

“Yes, and it’s all thrown away. I thought I had it all, I found the love of my life, and now I see that she wasn’t the one. And I wasn’t the one for her. She will mourn someone she wasn’t meant to be spend her life with. Why should I be excited for that?”

“Look at it from the brighter side, she wasn’t your soulmate and you weren’t hers. That means that there’s still someone out there for her and she will be happy again,” Michael said. “And so will you! I understand that it stings, and I would like to point out that I am not exactly the one to talk about this type of thing since I’m not human, but that’s just how it is. Life is like that too, isn’t it? Something bad happens, but then something good happens and you’re happy again.”

William’s eyes burned with tears that he desperately tried to ignore. His head was pounding and he could feel a piercing pain inside his ears too. He wasn't going to cry, not in front of this angel-god-whatever creature.

“William, it’s okay,” Michael said, patting his back awkwardly. “Some people have a harder time adjusting to life after death. It’s a huge change that the human mind needs to process, and it’s even harder when you had a certain belief. No one here will judge you because everyone is going through the same thing,” he took a short pause. “Why don’t I show you to your house so you can take some alone time?”

William tried to respond, but the lump in his throat was too big for that. He only nodded and stood, following Michael down the narrow streets of the afterlife.

As they walked in silence, William managed to regain control over his breathing and wiped his tears away. His mind was racing, questions popping up in his brain like popcorn in the microwave. When they reached the house, they quietened for a moment as he admired the perfection of it.

It was on the very edge of the small town, a small, cosy looking cottage with a flower garden. He couldn’t help but smile a little on the memory of helping his grandmother with flowers when he was little. These were the exact ones she had, in all his favourite colours. Even the house itself resembled hers, although there were little things that were most certainly based on the cabin of his best friend’s family, where he spent quite some amount of summer days.

“I take it you like it?” Michael asked.

“It’s beautiful,” William replied.

“Wanna go inside?”

“Absolutely.”

Michael opened the door for him and stepped aside, watching as his eyes widened in awe. Even the interior was a mix of his grandma’s house and the cabin. It was mostly wooden with warm colours and soft carpets. 

“There’s going to be an orientation program later in the afternoon. The screen over there will notify you,” Michael pointed to the wall with a huge television mounted to it. William’s mind immediately went to  _ 1984 _ , where screens turned themselves on whenever they pleased. Or rather, when someone in the background pleased. He frowned slightly, but not wanting to sound like a paranoid jerk, his mouth remained shut.

“How will I know where to go?” he asked instead.

“Just walk outside and think of where you’re going, you’ll get there just fine,” Michael smiled.

“Thanks.”

“I better be off now, there is still a few newcomers that I should attend to. I hope to see you soon.”

With one last friendly smile, Michael left the house and William was alone with his mind. He sat down in one of the Chesterfield chairs, sinking deep into the soft cushion, resting his elbows on his thighs and letting his head hang low between his shoulders. He toyed with the engagement ring on his finger, thinking about Coralie. She would cry, he knew she would. How much time has passed since it happened? Does time even exist in this place?

“Janet?” he called softly.

_ Bloop!  _ “Hi there!”

“Can I have a question?”

“Of course, William. That’s why I’m here.”

Something about her warm smile made him trust her. “I… I don’t know how to ask this.”

“You’re wondering if your fiancée is going to be okay,” she said.

“Well, basically. Michael told me we weren’t… soulmates, but still, it will affect her, right?”

“Of course it will,” the smile left her face for a moment, turning into sympathy. “You know, I’m not exactly the right entity to be asked this.”

“It’s okay. I… I don’t know what I was thinking. Sorry, didn’t mean to waste your time.”

“Don’t you worry about that. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“I have one more question,” he said slowly after a moment of hesitation. “How did I die? The last thing I can remember is going to sleep. Did I-”

“I can assure you that you did not die in your sleep. Are you sure you want to know?”

“Yes please,” he nodded.

Janet gave him some more time to change his mind before she began: “You were on your way to a film casting. You got off the underground and wanted to cross the street.”

The image started forming itself in his mind. He could see the busy streets of London, he could hear the traffic, the yelling of angry drivers, the bicycles. He could smell the fumes of the red buses and a fast food restaurant somewhere nearby.

“The light turned green and you began walking. There was a woman by your side, but she was walking a little faster than you.”

He could see her clearly. She was wearing a yellow jumper, carrying some sort of musical instrument on her back, perhaps a violin. Her curly hair was tied in a loose ponytail, showing off a tattoo on the back of her neck. Another one was peeking from one of her sleeves.

“There was a car approaching and not stopping. It was swerving from side to side.”

A white Mercedes. No, silver. It was going too fast for the driver to be sober.

“You tried to push the woman out of the way, but you miscalculated the speed of the car-”

“And it hit us both.”

“-And it hit both of you.”

They said the last sentence at the same time, William’s eyes widening.

“Did I kill her?” he asked. “Would she have gotten away if I didn’t push her?”

“No. She would have died anyway,” Janet shook her head. “The car was going too fast. You, on the other hand, would have gotten out only with some injuries.”

_ I died for nothing,  _ he thought.


	3. Liselotte

“You, Liselotte Adora Falk, are dead.”

The man in front of her was… strange looking to say the least. His suit was way too bright and colourful for someone of his age to wear.  _ I like this dude, _ she decided.  _ He has style. _

_ Wait, what was he saying? _

“W-what?” she stuttered.

“Your life on Earth has ended and you’re now in the next phase of your existence in the universe,” he said, adding a friendly smile at the end. “I’m Michael, I built this place,” he leaned back in his chair, grinning widely as he opened his arms. “Welcome to the afterlife.”

A strange surge of relief ran through her entire being, surprising her.  _ So it’s over. Finally.  _ She had to physically stop herself from expressing her happiness. Instead, she decided to look around the office. It must have been the nicest one she has ever been to; it felt more like a home office. The furniture was stylish, the lightning wasn’t making her squint, it wasn’t too cold or too hot. Above all, for some reason, it smelled like pine needles. It was perfect.

“It’s… surprisingly lovely,” she said, but then she frowned. “This isn’t a joke, is it?”

“Why would it be?” Michael wondered.

“Well, uh…” she trailed off, scratching the back of her neck. “People make fun of me all the time. I need to be sure.”

“You can trust me, Liselotte. This is no joke. You are dead.”

She thought for a moment. “Alright,” she nodded. “But if it turns out you’re lying, you’ll be the dead one.”

“Absolutely,” he said with a smirk. “I suppose you have tons of questions.”

“Well, I… what side of the afterlife is this? You seem nice, but I don’t know how Hell works, maybe you’re trying to trick me.”

Michael smiled warmly.  _ There’s no way he’s a demon. _ “You’re okay, Liselotte. You’re in the good part.”

Another wave of relief washed over her, this time a different type. A thought crossed her already confused mind and she decided to voice it: “Wait, so you’re… God?”

“No, Liselotte. I’m not God, not even  _ a  _ god. Or an angel. The system is slightly different than you’d expect. Good and bad aren’t polar opposites, or at least not anymore.”

Liselotte wasn’t sure what to reply. “Cool,” she said in the end. “Sorry, I… I’m not really good in social situations, and this is  _ really  _ new.”

“Don’t worry about that, it’s perfectly natural to feel out of place,” Michael assured her. “Why don’t we take a walk?”

“Sounds great,” she nodded.

“There’s actually going to be an orientation program starting soon, you should hopefully find out about everything there,” he said. “And then if you have more questions, you could ask Janet.”

“Janet?” Liselotte frowned.

“Hi there!” a woman dressed in a purple skirt and a matching vest with an old fashioned-looking blouse suddenly appeared from thin air.

“What the f-”

“Liselotte, this is Janet,” Michael introduced her. “She is here to help you with anything. Go on, ask for something.”

“Like what? I-I don’t… need anything.”

“Anything at all. Something random or even personal. Janet can make you anything.”

“I really don’t-”

“Janet, can you get Liselotte a watercolour palette with all her favourite colours and a…” Michael thought for a moment, “Set of some really nice brushes?”

“Sure!” Janet smiled widely as a paint set materialised in her hands. “I also added an infinite block of watercolour paper for you.”

“What do you mean  _ infinite _ ?”

“It will never run out!” Janet grinned. “Do you like it?”

“I… yeah, absolutely, I’m just… confused. How did you even do that?”

Janet chuckled. “I’m afraid this might be the one thing that I can’t really explain.”

“Well, uh… thank you,” Liselotte smiled nervously. “It’s not bleached, is it?”

“Don’t worry, it’s completely safe and bleach free,” Janet assured her.

Liselotte inspected the block, running her fingers over the rough surface. She could imagine how it would feel running a wet brush across the page, colours bleeding together. Or perhaps using a dry brush, hearing the soft swoosh as the bristles came in contact with the paper. “Wicked,” she whispered to herself, a smile creeping up her lips.

“Shall we go then?” Michael proposed. “We’ll go to the orientation program and then I’ll show you to your house?”

“My  _ house _ ?” her eyes widened as she stood up. “Like my  _ own house _ ? Where I live  _ alone _ ?”

“Yes, your own house,” Michael nodded.

“Oh God,” Liselotte felt her throat tighten. “That’s… that’s  _ forking _ amazing,” she stopped, frowning. “Forking.  _ Forking. _ Fork. What the  _ fork _ ?”

“Unfortunately swearing is forbidden here, so your speech is censored,” he explained.

“Oh, okay,” she nodded. “But that’s it, right? I won’t be… punished for trying to swear?”

“No, no, not at all!” he replied. “We’re not forking ashholes,” he winked at her, making her laugh.

“This is so great,” she sighed. “Thank you.”

“You earned your place here, you should be thanking yourself,” he said. “Come on now.”

Michael opened the door for her and walked her outside to a beautiful small town. It reminded her of her hometown, with its narrow cobbled streets and tiny colourful houses that didn’t quite fit together, and yet they stood in beautiful harmony. 

“Holy shirt,” she uttered as the sun hit her eyes. “That’s absolutely perfect!”

“I’m glad you like it,” Michael said as he led her down one of the streets towards what seemed to be a huge park. “You’ll have an eternity to explore it all.”

She didn’t say anything, she only looked around in total awe. It wasn’t  _ quite _ like Ærøskøbing, but the feeling was similar. It just felt warm and friendly. Like  _ home _ . There must have been a forest somewhere nearby as well, otherwise she could not explain the faint pine needle smell in the air.

They reached the park in just a few moments and Liselotte could see that it was full of people, making a shiver run down her spine. “Michael, do you think it would be possible to do this… orientation thing on my own? I’m not good with crowded places.”

“It’s okay, Liselotte, you’re not going to be forced to interact with anyone,” Michael assured her. “There’s just going to be a video kind of thing today. And besides, these people are all like you.”

“Then why are you making them sit all together like this?” she asked. “If they are anything like me, they are super uncomfortable right now.”

“We’re, uh…” he stuttered. “We’re trying to teach you to live together. You’re going to be here together forever after all. And this is not that bad, is it?”

“Let me see,” she smirked. “No one’s making eye contact, they are pretending to be looking around at best. Some are talking, but it’s mostly awkward greetings and trying to be polite. Wow, you created a social anxiety hell!”

“Oh fork, I should have listened to Chidi,” Michael mumbled to himself.

“I believe you are wrong, Liselotte,” Janet, whom she completely forgot about, suddenly jumped in. “You see, soon they are going to realise they are among their own kind and learn to socialise on their own terms. It might feel like hell now, but soon it will actually turn into a social anxiety  _ heaven _ .”

“That is a surprisingly good point,” Liselotte admitted. “Okay, I’ll let you have this one. Where should I sit?”


	4. Soulmates

As Liselotte sat down on one of the soft cushions on the grass, a flat screen appeared out of nowhere in the front of the park. There was nothing on it for a moment, then Michael appeared.  _ Couldn’t he just have given a presentation? _

“Hello everyone!” the on-screen Michael greeted them with a smile. “And welcome to your first day in the afterlife!”

Liselotte rolled her eyes secretly, earning a quiet chuckle from a woman sitting next to her. She smirked in return.

“You were all, simply put, good people,” Michael continued. “But - how do we know that you were good, how are we sure?”

Liselotte straightened her back. She didn’t think of that, how  _ did _ they know?

“During your time on Earth, every one of your actions had a positive or a negative value, depending on how much good or bad that action… put into the universe,” he explained and little notes started appearing around him, written either in red or green. “Every sandwich you ate,” that was green for some reason, “Every time you bought a magazine,” this one was written in red, “Every single thing you did had an effect that rippled out over time and ultimately created some amount of good or bad,” he paused for a moment. “You know how some people pull into the breakdown lane when there’s traffic and think to themselves,  _ ah, who cares, no one’s watching.  _ We were watching. Surprise!”

This earned a mixed reaction. Some people chuckled awkwardly, some froze and their skin went three shades paler as their eyes widened in realisation -  _ so I  _ was  _ being watched! _ Liselotte couldn’t decide what to think.

“Anyway,” Michael grabbed everyone’s attention again. “When your time on Earth is ended, we calculate the total value of your life using our - now perfectly accurate - measuring system. Some time ago, only the people with the very highest scores got to come here. But as life on Earth progressed and got more and more complicated, we realised that it’s not effective. So now, instead of good and bad being polar opposites, it’s a spectrum. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to tell you exactly what part you are in, but you probably guessed already that you are okay. You have put enough good into the world that you are here now, with people like you. And that’s not all there is for you - your true soulmate is here too!”

Liselotte’s heart did a somersault in her chest, her throat tightening. She could feel her hands shaking.  _ So love is actually real? _

“Most of you have already met your soulmates since you came here, and those of you who have not, will soon. And you will spend an eternity together,” Michael smiled warmly. “So welcome to eternal happiness.”

The screen disappeared and everything went quiet. Only now did Liselotte notice that most of the people there were actually sitting in pairs, awkwardly trying to flirt and hold hands. As far as she could see, she was the only one alone.

_ Yeah, of course I don’t have one. _

She sighed in disappointment and stood up, heading towards the exit.  _ Nothing unusual,  _ she thought, remembering her past attempts at love. None of them ended well.

“Liselotte?” Michael spoke up suddenly, startling her. “Where are you going?”

“I… I don’t know,” she mumbled. “Probably sit somewhere on my own since I’m clearly the only one without a soulmate.”

“What are you saying?” he frowned, then a look of realisation overcame his features. “Your soulmate is here too of course. But he’s… not quite ready to meet you. He’s having trouble adjusting to all this new stuff. You will meet him eventually, but he needs time.”

“Oh. Alright, sorry, I…” she stuttered. “I got a little ahead of myself. So sorry. If he needs time, I’ll give him all the time in the world. I got too excited.”

Michael smiled at her and she felt an urge to hug him. She shook the feeling off and instead returned his smile. 

“Why don’t I show you to your house?”

He walked her even further away from the building they started at, outside the town. They left the houses behind and walked across a small field of lavender, which must have been the most beautiful experience Liselotte could think of. After the field, a forest began, deep and magical. The ground was soft, covered in moss, leaves and pine needles and cones. She could see patches of Swedish blueberries everywhere, along with lingonberry shrubs and wild strawberries. There were birds singing, ones that didn’t make sense together - sparrows, bluetails, plovers, redpolls, even whinchats. A woodpecker was there somewhere too, judging by those soft knocking sounds. There was a creek nearby, gently bubbling away and giving life to the entire forest.

They walked in silence, enjoying the serenity. After a while, the path started going uphill, twisting around as to make it easier to climb.

And on the top of the hill stood the most beautiful building Liselotte has ever laid her eyes upon. A gorgeous tree house sitting amongst the branches of a massive pine tree.

“Holy fork,” Liselotte whispered. “You gotta be shirting me.”

“Do you not like it?” Michael asked, worries in his voice.

“I love it!” she squealed, jumping up and hugging Michael. “Oh god, I’m so sorry, I’m not like this, but this is so amazing!” she added when she let go of him again. Michael noticed there were tears in her eyes.

“I’m happy you like it,” he said. “I was a little surprised when I found out that this was what you wanted, given that you’ve spent all your life living with people.”

“That’s exactly  _ why _ I need to be away from them, pal,” she said, sniffling. “Wherever we lived, it was always… crammed and we had to share it with other people. I always dreamed of being so free. Having so much space just to myself, that’s… that’s perfect.”

“Of course. Do you want to go inside?”

“Fork, do I.”

She ran over to the ladder, climbing up so excitedly that it swayed to all sides, but it didn’t stop her. For a second, Michael was worried she would fall, but with a blink of an eye, she was up on the platform, waving at him and making him chuckle.

“I see you’re doing just fine, Liselotte,” he said. “I’ll leave you be for now. If you need anything, call for Janet and she’ll help you.”

“Thank you for helping me,” she said. “I hope I can pay you back somehow.”

“This is literally the purpose of me, I don’t want anything in return.”

“I’ll bake you a cake! Do you like cakes? What’s your favourite?”

“You really don’t have to do that. But if you like baking, perhaps you could make one for tonight’s welcome party.”

“You’re making a party for all these socially awkward people?” she raised her eyebrows. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

“You know what, you’re right,” he - surprisingly - agreed. “What if we postponed it until next week? So everyone has some time to get used to everything?” 

“Yeah, that would be for the best,” she nodded. “Wait, you’re really gonna listen to me?”

“Of course! You’re making a solid point.”

“Wow. Thanks!”

“Anytime, Liselotte. I’ll be off now. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I suppose.”


	5. Being weird is so man, dead

Liselotte needed to take a few deep breaths before she brought herself to open the door to her new home. Her hands shook as they touched the knob, turning it carefully. The wood creaked as she slipped inside.

The interior took her breath away.

What she saw inside must have been the literal definition of  _ cosy. _ The floor was partially covered in woolen rugs, as were the comfy looking armchairs. All the cupboards, the table and chairs were made from raw wood, fitting in perfectly with the surrounding forest. She sat on the thick mattress of the bed and let out a tiny whimper. It was soft but not too much, the blankets fluffy and warm to the touch. It felt heavy, like there was some extra weight to it, which was exactly what she needed some nights.

She could feel her eyes well up with tears, but she wasn’t sure what emotion they held. There was a lot of happiness as the realisation of all her dreams coming true hit her. But at the same time, seeing the incredible difference between her life on Earth and this literal paradise made her heart ache. She thought of her dad, sitting in the kitchen with three other people that were not their family, at least not literal, she thought of the piles of shoes in the hall, of getting squeezed on the couch when trying to watch films, of handing out newspapers every morning before school. Life on Earth sucked and now she had a chance to take back what she has been robbed of. But how could she enjoy it all while knowing her dad was still stuck with the same old  _ bollocks _ of a life?

“Fork,” she whispered, curling into a tiny ball, trying to swallow the lump that was growing in her throat. “Forking walking tweeted shirt*! Fork! Fork! Forking flying fork!”

She felt herself spiralling down into the deepest caves of her mind, having trouble breathing. Her entire body shook and her brain was screaming in agony as the gravity pressed her deeper and deeper into the mattress. Inhaling deeply, she pulled the blanket over herself and shut her eyes tightly.

That was the exact position she was in two days later when she heard someone talking outside.

“The first time I go on a hike  _ ever _ and now I have to climb a forking  _ hanging ladder _ ? I’m already dead, why is the universe trying to kill me  _ again _ ?” the first voice said.

“Just climb the ladder, Eleanor,” another voice replied. Both of the people sounded like they were trying to catch their breath.

“Just give me a break,” the woman, Eleanor, groaned. “You go first.”

“What? Why?” the man asked.

“Because I don’t want you to be staring at my butt!”

“You stare at  _ my  _ butt constantly.”

“That’s not true!”

“You literally talk about it all the time.”

“Are you complaining that I like your butt?”

“No! No I’m not! I’m just saying-”

“Climb that ladder, Chidi.”

The man sighed in defeat and everything was quiet for a moment. Then there was a soft  _ thud _ .

“For fork’s sake,” Eleanor sighed.

“You  _ know  _ that my sense of direction is broken.”

“You literally stepped  _ next to the ladder. _ How is that even possible.”

“I’m gonna find a normal ladder, this is ridiculous.”

“No, hang on. I’ll go first and pull you up.”

“Fine.”

For a few moments, all she could hear were the sounds of struggle. Both of the visitors were groaning and breathing heavily as the wooden platform creaked. After a minute or two, there was another heavy  _ thud _ and a moment of silence.

“God, I hope she didn’t hear that,” Eleanor said. Had Liselotte had the energy, she would have chuckled.

It took them another moment to get up and knock on the door. Liselotte lacked the strength to reply; the only sound she managed was a very soft whimper, and she doubted they could hear it.

Another knock. “Liselotte?” Eleanor spoke up. “I’m Eleanor, Michael sent me to check up on you.”

“Y-yeah, and I’m Chidi,” he added. “Can we come in?”

Liselotte forced another quiet groan, not much louder than the first one.

“Alright, we’re coming in!” Eleanor called. “If you want us away, just shout!”

She heard the door open with another creak as they walked in.

“Are you sure she’s here?” Chidi asked.

“Janet said she hasn’t left the house since the first day,” Eleanor replied. “Liselotte?”

“Hi,” she choked out. They turned in her direction and finally saw her face, lacking any sign of being alive.

“Hey there,” Eleanor smiled, walking over to her and kneeling down by the bed. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she shook her head.

“What’s wrong?” Eleanor wondered. “Can we get you anything? We can ask Janet to get you whatever you want, you know that, right?”

“I do. That’s the thing.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“I shouldn’t be here.”

“Oh no. No. Not another one,” Chidi said in despair. “Nooo…”

“Why don’t we get you out of bed and maybe a cup of tea and we’ll talk about it?” Eleanor suggested, glaring at Chidi.

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“This blanket,” Liselotte said. “It’s smart. The more depressed I am, the heavier it gets. I  _ literally _ can’t lift the weight of my own depression.”

“Oh my God, can you even move?”

“Not really.”

“Let me get th- oh my God,” Eleanor tried to lift the blanket off of her, failing. “Chidi, a little help?”

Together, they managed to move it only slightly. Liselotte was still trapped.

“Fork this. Janet?”

“Hi there!”

“Can you help us get rid of this stupid blanket?”

“Weighted blankets are  _ not  _ stupid, Eleanor,” Janet scolded her lightly. “They are a very useful tool for handling anxiety and depression.”

“Yeah, we know, but she can’t forking move!”

Janet snapped her fingers and the blanket disappeared, making Liselotte feel like she’s floating. Eleanor sat next to her.

“Hey girl,” she smiled. “What’s bothering you?”

Liselotte sat up carefully, her muscles stiff. “It’s not fair. Why… How can I enjoy paradise when I know there’s people struggling back on Earth?”

“Chidi, I feel like this one’s for you,” she stood again, patting the man on the back. “I’ll get you a cup of tea.”

“I can-”

“Shut up, Janet, I can make a cup of tea.”

Chidi sat on the bed next to Liselotte, smiling awkwardly. “Would you… maybe like a hug?”

“Uh… sure,” she nodded hesitantly and let the man pull her into a warm embrace.

“I know this doesn’t feel right,” Chidi whispered. “And I know that it doesn’t feel fair. But trust me, everything is going to be okay. If those people on Earth you’re talking about deserve it, one day they’ll get to their paradise too.”

“But until then? They’re stuck with their shirty lives,” she felt her throat tighten and her head ache. “My dad is… he’s the best person I have ever known and all he gets back is crab.”

“I know, I know, but don’t you think it’s worth it?” he asked. “Life on Earth might suck, but it’s short compared to what’s here. This is  _ forever. _ ”

“I’m not sure I like that,” Liselotte mumbled as she let go of the hug. “I don’t think I should be here.”

“This is exactly where you’re supposed to be,” Chidi insisted. “How would it help those on Earth if you went somewhere and suffered for them? Jesus did that and it did nothing. Sure, it was a gesture and it was very generous, but… what  _ did _ it give the people?”

“Don’t know,” she admitted. “But it doesn’t feel right. Being weird is  _ man, _ dead.”

Chidi blinked a few times, confused.

“I-I mean… being man is dead. Being dead is man. No, carp.”

“I get it, don’t worry,” Chidi chuckled. “Feeling better yet?”

“A little,” Liselotte said. “I need some fresh air.”

“Why don’t we take a walk around the neighbourhood? I’m guessing you didn’t really have a chance to look around,” Eleanor suggested.

“No, not really,” Liselotte shook her head. “I’ve been here for two days.”

“God, aren’t you hungry? Let’s go for dinner. We’ll show you the best place here.”

  
  
  


_ *Fucking wanking twatted shit _


	6. The neighbourhood

“So you two are soulmates?” Liselotte asked as the couple led her through the town.

“We’re pretty sure we are,” Eleanor said. “We don’t wanna know though.”

“You’re not one of us residents, are you?” Liselotte wondered.

“Well, not really,” Eleanor replied. “I mean, we  _ are _ dead humans. But it’s way more complicated and I don’t wanna talk about it ‘cause then it will sound like an awesome adventure and I don’t like that.”

“Yes you do,” Chidi mumbled.

“Okay fine, I do like talking about it because it makes me look really cool,” she admitted. “I had to be Michael, for fork’s sake. I had to deal with Tahani and Jason’s dramas. And don’t even get me started on Brent. Thank god he’s finally gone, I would have murdered him if I could.”

“You really are cool,” Liselotte said. “What do you mean you had to be Michael?”

As they dined together, Eleanor told a story that must have been a longer version of what Michael was talking about in the introductory video. It truly sounded like an absolutely incredible adventure, worth of becoming a novel back on Earth. The story took up the entire evening, but Liselotte rather enjoyed listening to Eleanor’s narrative style with Chidi’s additions. She sat with her elbows on the table, her chin resting in her hands as she looked at them.

“I have literally never talked to anyone this cool,” she said when the story ended with their team proving humanity’s complexity and changing the entire system. “You are actual heroes.”

“Aw, you’re too sweet,” Eleanor chuckled. “What about you? How was your life?”

“I… it’s not really worth talking about,” Liselotte mumbled. “It’s… it wasn’t too nice. I mean, it wasn’t the worst, I know that there are people who have it much worse than I had it, but… it still stung. You don’t wanna hear me complaining.”

“Oh, okay,” Eleanor said. “Don’t worry, I won’t force you.”

“Thanks,” Liselotte replied. “Maybe someday. When I’m not fresh out of a two day depression marathon.”

“But you’re feeling better, right?” Chidi asked. 

“Yes, much,” Liselotte nodded. “Thank you. I would have probably just kept lying there until I starved or something if it wasn’t for you two.”

“It’s nothing,” Eleanor smiled. “Hug?”

“Um… sure,” Liselotte said. “You’re great. And really cool. I can’t believe I met someone as forking great as you,” she rambled as Eleanor squeezed her in a tight embrace.

“Go to sleep now, you cutie,” Eleanor chuckled. “We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.”

As the next morning came, the blanket wasn’t nearly as heavy on Liselotte’s body as it was yesterday. It came off like nothing, nearly sliding off the bed with ease. She rose up with a smile on her face, looking forward to the days to come. The sun shone through the kitchen window, the soft rays of light warming her skin gently and waking not only her, but also all the birds in the surrounding forest, making that breakfast the most beautiful one she has ever had the pleasure to have. There were no melodies in the birds’ songs, and yet she could hear words that celebrated everything in the world.  _ Ode to Joy _ , she thought as she put on the kettle to make herself a cup of tea. She has never made anything in that kitchen, and yet she knew exactly where everything was. In the cabinet above the kettle, she found jars with tea leaves, at least ten different types. Each of them had the name of the tea written on it in beautiful cursive, surrounded by tiny little flowers in pastel colours. She picked one called  _ Cranberry Autumn _ with pumpkin drawings on the jar, realising that on Earth, summer was nearing its end. She deemed the tea perfect for the occasion, falling in love with its gentle fruity notes mingling with the smoothness of black tea. She closed her eyes, thinking about the red and orange leaves on the ground, the smell of oncoming rain, drinking watery hot chocolate from the vending machine on the way home, squealing and giggling as a by-passing bus showered her with cold water. A smile crept up her face along with bitter tears in her eyes. She wiped them away, sniffling.

No more watery hot chocolate and crappy, lukewarm teas. No more buses on crowded streets of London.

No more stupid Earth and its even stupider inhabitants.

She decided to get breakfast downtown. And perhaps meet Chidi and Eleanor again. She hoped they could show her around some more since yesterday they ended up staying in one place the whole time. So she poured the rest of her tea into a travel cup, changed into clothes more suitable than pyjamas and set off for the neighbourhood. She chose a very slow pace, enjoying the view as she strolled through the beautiful forest surrounding her. She walked quietly, not wanting to disturb anything that might live in there. She sipped her tea occasionally, adoring how perfectly it matched the weather. The ground was soft beneath her feet, fallen leaves crunching under her steps, pine needles getting stuck to her shoes.

She reached the lavender field, not realising it didn’t make sense for the time of the year and only enjoying its vast beauty and enchanting scent. Her fingers grazed upon the tiny blossoms mindlessly, feeling as if she found herself in the middle of a watercolour picture.

“Hello!”

Liselotte jumped in surprise, too immersed in her own thoughts to notice another person approaching her.

“Hi,” she replied. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“No worries, dear,” the new person, a woman in her late thirties, possibly early forties, smiled. “I’m Lisette. Nice to meet you, uh...”

“Liselotte,” she chuckled. “You must be the one everyone always confused me with, literally  _ everyone  _ always called me Lisette.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant,” the other woman laughed. “You heading for the town?”

“Yeah, actually, I was going to get breakfast,” Liselotte said.

“Why don’t you come over? We made croissants this morning,” she offered.

“Oh, I don’t want to be any trouble,” Liselotte replied.

“Don’t be silly, you almost have the same name as me, come on,” Lisette insisted and began walking towards the town, leaving Liselotte with no other option than to follow her awkwardly. Soon, they reached an adorable little cottage just outside the town.

“Honey, I brought us a guest!” Lisette called as she stepped on the front porch. “Would you take your shoes off please?” she turned back to Liselotte. “We have these cute little slippers for you to wear.”

“Sure, sure, no problem,” Liselotte nodded, sliding her trainers off and taking the fluffy slippers, noting how soft they felt. 

“Babe, you’d never guess what our new friend’s name is,” Lisette continued as another woman walked to the hall. She was shorter, with curly brown hair and deep brown eyes, her cheeks covered in freckles.

“Well hello to you too,” she smirked, folding her arms on her chest. Lisette chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully and reaching to kiss the other woman on her cheek. “Now that’s better,” she said.

“Guess what her name is,” Lisette insisted.

“Oh come on,” the other woman said. “I suck at guessing games. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“I… I’m Liselotte,” she introduced herself.

“Ah,” the woman nodded in understanding. “Now I get it. I’m Maya. This idiot here is my soulmate.”

“Oh, soulmates. Cool,” Liselotte said. “Forgot about those.”

“Have you met yours yet?” Maya asked curiously.

“No, I… I have not,” Liselotte shook her head. “Michael said he needs some time or something.”

“Yeah, totally get that, I spent the entire the first evening crying,” Lisette chuckled. “It’s weird, isn’t it?”

Liselotte decided not to speak of her two day long slump, not wanting to think about it.

“Why don’t we go sit in the garden and have a nice breakfast,” Maya suggested. “We made some incredible croissants this morning.”

They sat together in a beautiful garden full of flowers, enjoying a truly delightful meal of fresh croissants and fruity tea. Slowly, they switched tea for mimosas and sweet pastries for sourdough bread and cream cheese. They were joined by a friendly alpaca just before lunchtime. He tried to steal their food numerous times, but Maya always outsmarted him. That did not stop him, in fact, it only made him try harder.

“I grew up on an alpaca farm,” Maya explained. “They think they’re smart, but they are actually huge dumbasses.”

“They even look like dumbasses,” Lisette pointed out. “Look at this moron,” she scratched his neck affectionately. “Look at him! Looooooook at him!”

“Don’t offend him,” Maya warned her jokingly. “Or he’ll bite you in the ash.”

“Awww, no he won’t,” Lisette cooed. “He’s a baby, isn’t he? He’s a cute little baby. He would never bite me. Is that right? Is that right, Mister Baby?”

“His name is  _ Julio, _ darling,” Maya said. “Although he is a big baby.”

“You grew up with these?” Liselotte asked, also petting Julio on the head. “Must have been fun.”

“Yeah, in a way,” Maya agreed. “Never had to go to school, took care of these idiots and learned to knit. If that isn’t the dream, I don’t know what is.”

“Sure sounds like it,” Liselotte said.

“What about your life, Lotte?” Lisette wondered. “You’ve barely spoken.”

“I… it wasn’t exactly… nice,” she stuttered. “I don’t want to moan about it.”

“Oh please, honey,” Maya insisted. “It’s okay. I can moan about mine right after you. I can assure you, these fluffy monsters weren’t all fun and games.”

“You really wanna hear it?” Liselotte asked.

“You can trust us. We won’t make fun of you, or judge you, or make you uncomfortable in any way. Or try to at least. If we do something that makes you feel bad, just say it. We’re here for you.”

Liselotte took a deep breath, then took a sip of her drink before finally speaking.

She spoke of the little she remembered about her mother and the pain it brought when she passed away, and how they had to leave Denmark because her family accused her dad of being the reason she died. How he could never keep a job, or even a flat for longer than a few months because that stupid rumour always got there. How they always had to live with at least two other families in cramped spaces. How Liselotte had to get a first job at the age of ten and even that wasn’t enough; there were still days when she went to bed hungry. How the teachers at school thought her dad abused her and almost had her taken away from him. How the other children at school always made fun of her. How no one in the whole world seem to care about one little girl that was a little too black for the white kids and too white for the black kids to be friends with. How she almost died from a stupid appendix infection because no one would believe she was sick.

She chose not to speak of the boys and later the men that thought it would be funny to lift her skirt when she walked home, to spit in her face and call her a worm (that was  _ not _ the word Liselotte had intended to say, but no matter how hard she tried, it was all that left her mouth) despite her whimpering that it was  _ her uniform _ . Or the manager who always somehow found himself to be at the copying machine just after her, standing just a little too close behind. And the main manager who never seemed to have receive any of her complaints about it. Not even did she mention the women who apparently had an ongoing problem with her appearance and continued to put her down about it endlessly. And especially not the one colleague that kept following her every evening, until one night he finally cornered her in a dark alley. Instead, she talked about her dad and how she was worried about him. He lost Mum years ago, and now he was left completely on his own, with people who never did anything but accuse him of horrible things. She hoped that maybe now that he only had to care for himself, things would get easier for him. Somehow.

Before she was even done talking, Lisette threw herself at her, squeezing her in a tight embrace and apologising for making her talk about it.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice quiet. “I should have left you alone when you asked.”

But strangely, it felt good to finally speak of the pain she had been pushing back for over thirty years. It was like releasing pressure from a bottle of soda that’s been left in the sun for an entire afternoon. A little messy and gross, but so relieving.


	7. Coralie

Quite similarly to Liselotte, William also spent the first two days not interacting with anybody. When a friendly neighbour greeted him as he worked on his garden, he waved back, hoping they would understand he wished for nothing but to be left alone with his flowers. And luckily, they did. They always smiled in understanding, wished him a good day and left. His thoughts were the only companions he needed. 

So he spent his days among the soft grass and soil, making sure all those beauties had all they needed, be it the right amount of water, warmth or light. When he was done tending to them, he got back inside and cooked for himself. He did not know where all the ingredients in his fridge and pantry came from, and he even thought he’d ask Janet about it, but he decided that she was probably busy helping the other residents and his silly questions would only waste her time. Instead he decided to use the opportunity and teach himself things he had always wished to know in the kitchen but never had the time for it. Now that it seemed he had an eternity to his own disposal, he was going to make damn sure it wouldn’t go to waste. He wanted to perfect the skills that he already had and to learn new ones. Coralie would be so proud of him.

Oh, Coralie. Not a day passed when he wouldn’t remember her. He couldn’t help but get angry every time he remembered she was alone now, all because the universe simply refused to let people know that the one they think they love are not the one for them. If it wasn’t for the selfishness of Michael’s bosses, she could be happy right now and his death would be the last of her problems.

He thought about this soulmate of his. Would they think like that as well? Did they lose someone close only to find out their pain was worthless? Were they as angry with the universe as he was?

Did he already meet them?

Could it be the friendly Japanese woman who always smiled at him when she passed by? Or the one who always wore bright lipstick that matched her dress? Was it the pale man with piercings who had the sweetest dimples in the world? Or perhaps the ginger guy that wore his hair in a half bun and had his nails painted and walked with a swagger in his step?

Deep down, he knew it wasn’t any of them. As much as he would like the ginger man to reserve that cocky smirk for him, he would never dare to steal someone else’s soulmate, not again. He saw him walking side by side with a shorter man of a stocky stature one time, and the loving smiles they gave each other could never be matched by anything he could give him.

He decided not to take any chances and take his faith into his own hands. After all, despite Michael’s words, he was sure that he would know when he met the one.

So he started going downtown.

At first, it was just for short walks where he looked around curiously, but as he found out how fascinating it was, he spent more and more time there. He visited beautiful bookshops, dined in adorable little restaurants and lounged in gorgeous coffee shops that served exquisite cakes and pastries. He had no luck; the feelings he expected to feel never arrived. Slowly, he realised that he must have been the last one not to have met his soulmate. Apart from the one he was looking for, of course. 

He considered asking Janet or Michael to arrange a meeting with his soulmate, but each time he was about to do it, Coralie’s face once again began haunting his mind. He was getting desperate, not even able to sleep peacefully from the guilt of somewhat betraying his fiancée’s trust. It took him weeks to build up the courage to speak about it.

“Janet?” he called softly one night. It was late and he considered leaving it for tomorrow, but his mind would never shut up if he did. 

With a  _ bloop, _ she appeared right in front of him. “Hello, William. What can I help you with?”

He stayed silent, trying to come up with a way to explain his struggle without sounding like a madman.

“Is everything okay?” Janet asked.

“I… I have a question,” he said. “Is it… possible for us to talk to the people on Earth?”

Janet made a face that conveyed a whole lot of emotions, none of which he could really describe. He decided that it was a surprised face.

“I would strongly advise against it,” she said. “But it is possible. What do you wish to speak about?”

“I’ve been trying to move on,” he sighed. “And to accept the fact that Coralie and I… that we weren’t meant for each other. I don’t want to keep my soulmate waiting forever. But whenever I think of meeting someone else, I feel horribly guilty.”

“And you think that talking to her will make that better?” she frowned. 

“I don’t know,” he said sheepishly, hanging his head low. “But I think it could be worth a try.”

“Well, if you can promise you won’t try anything funny, I don’t see why not,” she said. “She’s asleep now, you can visit her in her dream. That should be better than actually going down there.”

“Really?” he asked. “You’re going to let me talk to her?”

“Yes. Not before I consult Michael though,” she told him. “Give me a moment, please.”

She disappeared, only to return about three minutes later, which William spent preparing what to say.

“Michael agreed,” Janet said. “I’m warning you though, you might feel nauseous after you come back.”

“That’s a small price to pay,” he smiled minutely. “So what should I do?”

“Just sit comfortably and trust me,” she said, sitting next to him. “It might help if you closed your eyes.”

William did as he was told, his hands trembling. He felt Janet’s fingers touch his temples and suddenly, everything changed. He found himself standing in his and Coralie’s bedroom in London. It was dark, but the light from the streetlights seeping through the blinds was enough for him to see everything that was supposed to be there. He saw the extensive collection of books and records that they shared, the shelf with the ugliest souvenirs they found on their travels. He was home.

He turned to where the bed was and his heart sunk. Coralie was lying on her side, clutching on what used to be his pillow.

He sat on the bed, gently touching her shoulder. “Coralie,” he whispered. “Love, please, wake up.”

He watched as her eyes fluttered open slowly, fatigue quickly leaving as she recognised him. “William?” she asked, her voice husky. “Is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me,” he said, his throat tightening. “I’m here.”

“Oh my God,” she breathed, quickly sitting up and hugging him tightly. “I thought you died, babe, how did you-”

“I did die, love,” he interrupted her, returning the embrace. “But I had to see you.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, looking at him in confusion. “You came… from the afterlife… just to see me?”

“I… I need to talk to you,” he said. “There’s something you should know.”

“Is something wrong?” she frowned.

“This isn’t easy to say,” he sighed. “But… we weren’t... meant for each other.”

_ “What?” _

“You know how… how you sometimes said I was the one for you?” he asked. “Your soulmate?”

“And?”

“Well… it’s actually a thing. Soulmates, I mean. It’s real. And we… we weren’t each other’s soulmates.”

“Are you just saying that to make me feel less bad about you being gone?”

“I wish,” he chuckled dryly. “But it’s really true.”

“Then who  _ is _ my soulmate?”

“I don’t know,” William shook his head. “I still don’t know who mine is either. I… I’ve been putting off meeting them because it felt like I would betray you if I fell in love with someone else, meant to be or not.”

“So what do you want me to do right now?”

William rubbed his face, catching some tears that began falling without him realising. “I don’t know. I… I have no idea. I hoped that talking to you would make things clear, but… I don’t know. I don’t understand anything. It’s all my fault, love, it’s… I wouldn’t have died if I wasn’t an idiot.”

“What are you talking about?” Coralie asked. “You were hit by a car when you were crossing a road, how is that your fault?”

“I…” he sobbed. “There was a woman in front of me and I tried to push her away. I wouldn’t’ve died if I didn’t do that, I’d be okay, I’d still be here with you.”

“Hey, hey,” she laughed, gently grabbing his face. “Babe, you tried to save someone’s life!”

“But I didn’t save her!”

“Who cares? You tried! That’s what matters. I’m sure that got you a nice spot up there, am I right?”

“I miss you so much,” he whimpered.

“I miss you too, baby,” she smiled, tears running down her cheeks. “But at least now I know you’re okay. And there’s someone up there just waiting for you to make them happy. And… someone’s out here for me too. It’s okay, babe. I’ll be okay. You’ll be too.”

“But-”

“Shhh,” she placed a hand over his mouth. “Don’t try to argue. It is what it is. I’ll have to wake up soon and you’ll be gone. But I’ll know you’re okay, I’ll know you’re somewhere safe with someone who will love you. I don’t know if it’s gonna be a girl or a dude, I don’t know what they’re gonna be like, but it’s none of my business anymore. All I need to know is that you are somewhere good.”

“I love you,” he whispered. “I’ll never forget you, I promise.”

“I love you too,” she said. “You should go before I start thinking about it too much and freak out.”

Unsure of how anything worked, he simply imagined himself sitting back in his house in the afterlife, and sure enough, within just a moment, he was back. Janet still sat in front of him, but her hands were now down. William let out a shaky breath, wiping away his tears.

“I’m sorry, William,” she said. “I told you it was not the best idea.”

“No, it… it helped,” he replied. “Kind of.”

“Did it?” she wondered. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. You’re not feeling sick?”

“A little dizzy, but okay,” he said.

“Well, don’t eat any ice cream in the next twenty four hours, and be careful with spicy food too. You should be fine.”

“Thank you, Janet,” he gave her a pained smile. “I owe you.”

“No you don’t,” she said in her usual cheery voice and disappeared. “Oh,” she was back a second later. “Also, do  _ not _ eat any vegetables for the next seventy two hours. Bye!”


	8. A picnic in the park

Meanwhile, Liselotte had turned her home and its surrounding grounds into a place of every old lady’s dreams. She tended to a garden that she found on the other side of the hill where her house was, her labor bearing literal fruits within the few weeks. She asked Janet for a hammock and it hung between two apple trees, in a perfect spot with just the right amount of sunlight. 

That’s where she was one gorgeous afternoon (all afternoons were beautiful, each new one seeming even nicer than the last one, making one wonder if the graph of their increasing charm had an end), dozing off after hours of digging around in soil and picking the ripe fruits. A few baskets of berries, cherry tomatoes and apples sat on the ground, not caring that they didn’t quite make sense together. They just sat there, creating an idyllic picture that could easily be an impressionist painting; a beautiful woman in a summer dress and a wide brimmed hat to shield her eyes from the direct sun, barefoot, lying in a hammock with baskets filled with colourful fruits. All that was would be needed to complete it was an umbrella that would nonchalantly shield her.

The elegance of the scenery was ruined by Janet appearing with her  _ bloop  _ sound. “Hi there!”

“Holy fork!” Liselotte gasped, nearly falling from her comfy spot. “You can’t scare me like this!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she apologised. “I have good news for you.”

“Yeah?” Liselotte attempted to get up with some dignity, failing miserably. She huffed and groaned and in the end, she stood, a little out of breath, in front of Janet.

“Your soulmate would like to meet you,” Janet said. “Michael suggested that you have a date tomorrow evening.”

Liselotte’s heart skipped a beat. “H-he would?” she asked. “Really?”

“Yes,” Janet nodded. “Michael has consulted it with Eleanor Shellstrop, a self acclaimed relationship expert and my good friend, and upon inspecting both of your folders, she suggested you have a picnic in the park.”

“That sounds great,” Liselotte replied. “Amazing.”

“Perfect,” Janet said. “I will inform Michael and Eleanor. She will come here tomorrow afternoon and help you with preparations.”

“Thank you,” Liselotte smiled, heat spreading to her cheeks upon imagining  _ finally _ meeting the one she was supposed to love forever, and who was supposed to love her in return. As Janet disappeared, she couldn’t help but let out a girly squeal and jump up in excitement. She took the fruit baskets up to the house and ran to the town to see Lisette and Maya.

She knocked on their door frantically, her breathing heavy.

“Lotte! Jesus Christ, what’s going on?” Maya asked her when she walked out.

“My soulmate!” she replied, still trying to catch her breath. “He wants to meet me!”

“For real?” Maya’s face lit up. “That’ so amazing!” she squeezed Liselotte in a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you, honey!”

“What’s going on over here?” Lisette appeared from inside the house. “You guys celebrating without me?”

“Lotte’s finally gonna meet her man!” Maya said. 

“Oh my God really?” Lisette jumped up in excitement and joined in the hug. Liselotte finally caught her breath and her heart calmed down too. It felt like her brain was only now processing the information.

“I’m going to meet my soulmate,” she said. “Like you two are!”

“Yes you are!” Maya tightened her grip on her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“And you’ll be perfect,” Lisette added. “Just imagine that! Two nerds growing succulents together.”

“And painting!”

“And picking fruits!”

“And cuddling in that cute hammock!”

“I’m pretty sure the trees would break if one more person tried to join in, they are bending already,” Liselotte snickered.

“Don’t talk like that,” Maya slapped the top of her head lightly. “It’s gonna be perfect! You’re soulmates, for fork’s sake! You’ll bake pies together and take walks in the forest…”

“And fo- make love,” Lisette corrected herself when she noticed Maya’s glare. “Aren’t you excited?”

“I… I’m nervous,” she admitted. “I’ve never… I’ve never been with anyone. Not even on a date. I’m scared.”

“Honey, this is your soulmate!” Maya insisted, letting go of the hug and looking her in the eyes. “It’s  _ literally _ meant to be. You’ll be fine!”

“We’ll go with you if you want,” Lisette offered. “To support you from afar.”

“Could you?” Liselotte asked, hope in her eyes.

“Of course, babe,” Maya winked. “We’ll be there for you. And if anything goes wrong, we will kick him in the forking nuts. I'll get Julio to bite him!”

That whole afternoon was spent celebrating and trying to guess what Liselotte’s soulmate was going to be like.

That night, neither Liselotte or William could sleep well. They tossed and turned in their beds, desperately trying not to think about tomorrow. They both gave up on trying to rest, each in their own way. Liselotte climbed to the top of her tree to watch the stars and the colourful nebulas above her, only now noticing that she was actually overlooking the entire neighbourhood. It was dark and quiet, except for one house on the very edge. She smiled, secretly hoping it was her soulmate’s and that he couldn’t sleep either. She imagined it being like in a sugar sweet romantic film, both of them gazing upon the stars at the same time. 

She wasn’t that far from the truth - the only house with the lights on was, indeed, William’s. He sat on the kitchen counter, his elbows resting on his thighs and his fingers fidgeting with anxiety and his throat tight. The cup of tea he had prepared for himself sat beside him, cold and untouched. He clung onto Coralie’s words desperately;  _ there’s someone up there just waiting for you to make them happy. I’ll be okay, _ but no matter how hard he tried to make himself believe them, each time her voice echoed in his mind, his heart sunk a little lower. Maybe he wasn’t ready at all, maybe he should call it off. But then again, his soulmate, whoever they were, didn’t deserve that. He told himself that everything would change tomorrow, but it was to no avail. He tried to convince his own mind that this is what’s meant to happen, that the one he will meet tomorrow is truly the one and that once he’ll meet them, he won’t care anymore.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. He frowned, jumped off the counter and went to greet the unexpected visitor.

“Hey man, you okay?” she asked. It was a short haired blonde woman, he remembered seeing her around quite a lot. “I saw your lights were on and got curious. Is everything alright?”

“I, um…” he stuttered. “I just can’t sleep, that’s all.”

“Is something bothering you?” the woman wondered.

“Um… tomorrow’s a big day, that’s it,” he said. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Oh, right, sorry,” she chuckled. “I’m Eleanor, I help Michael around the neighbourhood.”

“Oh, so you’re an… angel like him?” he asked.

“No,” she shook her head with a grin. “I’m human. It’s complicated, really. So,” she took a pause. “Big day, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m… I’m meeting my soulmate tomorrow,” he nodded with a sigh. “Well, I suppose today.”

“Oh!” her eyes widened in sudden realisation. “Oh! You’re William, right? Michael mentioned there was someone problematic.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, not… problematic, but… you had problems adjusting and stuff.”

“You could say that,” he agreed. 

“Can I give you some advice?” Eleanor offered. “Look into the very back of your cupboard. There’s a jar of anxiety reducing tea, it will help you sleep.”

“Oh, uh… thanks,” he smiled at her slightly. “Anything else?”

“Well, I’d tell you not to worry, but even I know that doesn’t work, so… you know,” she said. “Just make yourself that tea and go to bed and you’ll be okay. I can assure you that your soulmate is feeling just like you are right now.”

“Do you know them?” he asked.

“Well, uh… no,” she shook her head, but William could see it in her eyes that she did. “No, but uh… everyone in this neighbourhood is like you, so… it’s predictable. Good night!”

And with that, she disappeared into the dark night. He could hear her footsteps for a while, but then they got out of his range. He closed his door and returned to the kitchen, pouring the cold tea into the sink and finding the one she was talking about. It was labeled  _ A Cup Of Calm _ and it smelled nice and herby. It reminded him of his grandmother’s kitchen that always had herbs and flowers drying by the window. When he looked at the backside of he label, it read:  _ whatever used to calm you down on Earth, turned into tea. _ When he sniffed it more carefully with his eyes closed, he could make out the individual components - notes of chamomile and lemon balm, accompanied by fresh rain, hay, and somehow, the sound of falling snow. He shook his head in disbelief and took a careful sip, realising that despite being freshly brewed, it did not need to cool down; it already had the perfect temperature. He drank the whole cup and found himself getting sleepy, so he turned off the kitchen light and made his way to the bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was gone, and he slept soundly until the morning.

Liselotte, much to her surprise, found herself waking up still on the top of the tree, sitting on a branch like some sort of bird. She stretched, nearly falling down, and then carefully climbed inside her house where she made herself a cup of tea called  _ D-Day;  _ a strong black tea with gentle spice, giving her exactly the kick she needed with the day ahead of her. Her eyes widened in shock upon realising that it was nearly noon, but then again, she must have fallen asleep really late. Or maybe early. She cursed herself for not going to bed like a normal human being and went off to take a shower and make herself look like an actual person, not a drawing of a horrifying witch from a children’s book. As she left the bathroom, her hair in a towel hat and wearing a bathrobe, there was a knock on the door.

“Hey girl!” Eleanor greeted her. “Getting ready for the big day?”

“Hi,” she said. “Yeah, I’m… trying. I was in the shower for like an hour. I’m gross.”

“What are you saying, you look great! I’m just here to check on you and help you if you need,” Eleanor told her. “Maybe help you pick clothes? You’re not going in that towel, are you?”

“No, no,” Liselotte chuckled. “Come on in.”

“God, I love this house,” Eleanor smiled as she walked in. “I mean, I could not live here, but man, is it gorgeous. Much like you.”

“Oh shut up,” Liselotte rolled her eyes. “Could you… help me pick a dress?”

“Of course babe, that’s why I’m here!” Eleanor walked over to her closet. “May I?”

“Please,” Liselotte gestured for her to proceed. “God knows I need your help here.”

It took quite a long time to pick the right dress for the occasion - the colour, the length, the type. When they finally decided on one - a yellow shirt dress that ended just belong her knees. Eleanor insisted that they brought out the shine of Liselotte’s eyes, and no matter how ridiculous it sounded, it made her confidence shoot upwards. The dress hung over the kitchen chair while Eleanor decorated Liselotte’s face with gentle colours, and her hair with tiny dried flowers that matched the colour of the dress. She also helped her pick out a small gift for her soulmate - an adorable little succulent in a yellow pot, the same colour as the dress. Liselotte originally wanted a flower, maybe some tulips, but Eleanor convinced her that this was much more original; much more personal.

The sun was heading west, filling the valley of the neighbourhood with golden light when Eleanor and Liselotte set off down the hill. Eleanor, seeing Liselotte’s shaking hands, kept complimenting her and gently nudging her with her elbow, making her giggle.

“Here we are,” Eleanor said once they reached the park. “My friends prepared you guys a lil’ something over there,” she pointed to a picnic table.

“He’s not here yet,” Liselotte breathed, her heart beating hard. 

“Of course not, he’s a guy,” Eleanor scoffed. “Besides, we got here a little early. Relax, babe!”

“I think I want to go back,” Liselotte whimpered, her stomach performing Olympics-level acrobatics.

“No no no no no!” Eleanor put her hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. “Liz. It’s gonna be okay. He’s your soulmate, what could go wrong?”

“I’m really not sure, Eleanor, what if I embarrass myself?”

“So what? You two are literally meant to be. Chances are he might embarrass himself first, fork! He’s probably just as nervous as you are. It’s gonna be fine.”

“I-”

“Me and Chidi will be right over there and your friends from the alpaca farm are here too. I’m pretty sure they made a transparent to cheer for you. Just sit here, pour yourself a glass of wine and breathe. He’ll be here soon. Sit down, take a nice deep breath and it will be okay. Alright?”

Liselotte forced herself to nod and let Eleanor hug her, then leave to sit at another picnic table. She sat down, her hands in her lap, trying to make use of that one breathing technique that Chidi had taught her. But she couldn’t quite remember how the numbers went - 7-8-9? No, that doesn’t seem right, how could she hold her breath for eight seconds? Dumb. 9-8-7? Also stupid. 5-6-7 then? That could be it, right? But after trying that a few times, she found herself suffocating. Wait, there was a four there. 4-5-6? 5-4-3? God dammit!

_ Just breathe in… and out. In… out. In and out. Come on, you can do it. _


	9. Event horizon

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a man approaching her. She looked up and surely - he was heading towards her, his gaze fixed on her face as if he were trying to place it somewhere in his mind. He was handsome, wearing a plain button down shirt and jeans, his golden brown hair curling slightly.

Suddenly, he frowned.

_ No, that’s impossible, _ William thought, walking among the other residents enjoying their afternoon in the park as he recognised her.  _ Absolutely not. _

Liselotte stood up and tried her best to give him a nice and friendly smile, but his expression remained cold.  _ Oh no. Something’s not right. _

“Hello,” she greeted him, awkwardly extending her right hand. “I’m Liselotte.”

He stood, staring at her in silence, scanning her face with such intensity that made her (and also Eleanor with the others) worried he was about to burn holes through her head. “You’re… you’re the reason I’m here,” he finally said.

_ That’s an odd way to say hi, _ she thought, forcing a chuckle. “Well, uh… yeah, you kind of… asked… to meet me?” she said, trying not to seem too confused and failing.

“No,” he shook his head, the intensity of his stare never faltering. “No, I’m  _ here _ because of you. I’m  _ dead _ because of you.”

“I- I’m sorry?” Liselotte stuttered. “What do you-”

“You’re the reason I’m dead,” he said again, running his hand through his hair and finally looking away. There was a strange hint of a smirk on his face, somewhat bewildered and not nice looking at all. “Fork, this is rich. I… I’m out of here, I’m sorry. I can’t believe this! Shirt!”

With those words, he stormed off, leaving Liselotte frozen in her spot, completely perplexed and her eyes filling with tears.

“What the hell was that?” Maya, who just ran to Liselotte’s side, asked. “Why the fork did he just leave?”

“I… I don’t know,” Liselotte replied, her voice trembling. “He was…” she felt a lump growing in her throat and her ears felt like they were about to explode. “He said I killed him, he… I don’t know what’s going on, I…”

“Shhh, babe, someone will explain it surely,” Maya said, hugging her tightly and petting her hair.

“Oh fork,” Eleanor mumbled. “I think it will be best if Janet tells you.”

_ Bloop!  _ “Hello!”

“Could you… tell Liselotte how she died?” Eleanor asked.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Maya frowned.

“You’ll see,” Eleanor shushed her. “Janet, please.”

Liselotte looked up, teary eyed, the eyeliner that Eleanor worked so hard on now all over the place. Janet’s expression was sorrowful and apologetic.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she said. “I didn’t realise William could react like this. You don’t know how you died, do you?”

“No,” Liselotte sobbed. “I was so glad it was over that I didn’t care.”

As Janet began speaking, the image formed itself in Liselotte’s mind like a film. 

It was late in the afternoon and she was on her way to her favourite busking spot, the ukulele she borrowed from the family they lived with resting on her back. The sun was unusually bright for London and it made her smile. 

There was one final road she had to cross to get to her spot. When the light turned green, she was so determined to get there that she didn’t really look around. She didn’t see the silver sports car approaching her then, but now it was there, clear as a day, going at a ridiculous speed. She felt someone grab her by the upper arm and toss her to the side just a second before it hit them both. She could feel the horrible, mind numbing pain spreading through her entire body as the light got way too bright for a while.

And then everything went pitch black.

“I’m so sorry, I thought you knew,” Eleanor said.

“S-so,” Liselotte stuttered, her voice even weaker, barely above a whisper. “He tried to save me and died too?”

“I’m afraid so,” Janet nodded.

“What a piece of shirt,” Lisette, who had been silent this whole time, spoke up. “I’m gonna fork him up so bad, that son of a-”

“Lizzie, stop,” Maya said. 

“What? We promised her that we would kick his ash if he hurt her!” she insisted, her eyes full of seething hatred. “I knew you couldn’t trust men, I forking knew it! Damn this speech censoring bullshirt!”

“Hey,” Chidi spoke up. “How about instead of kicking his ash, I’ll go and talk to him.”

“Yeah, another dude, sure,” Lisette scoffed. “Get out of my way.”

“Slow down, tiger,” Maya told her firmly. “Let Chidi go. We need to stay with Lotte.”

Lisette, fuming like a pissed off dragon, stood there for a while, but then gave up. “Yeah, okay. The dude will probably handle this better.”

“I’m gonna ignore that sarcasm,” Chidi said more to himself rather than to anyone else, grabbed the tiny succulent from the table and left. The women who stayed there sat Liselotte down and desperately tried to make her feel better about the situation.

Chidi reached William’s house in no time, and found the door open wide and the man pacing around in the living room. He knocked on the doorframe just to be sure, and when William turned to him, he found his eyes red and puffy.

“What,” he said when he recognised his face as the weirdo from the library. “You came here to give me a lesson on ethics? I’m not in the mood, leave me alone.”

“Liselotte wanted to give you this,” Chidi said, putting the succulent on the coffee table. “May I?” he pointed at the sofa. William scoffed, rolled his eyes and nodded, sitting in an armchair himself. He tried to discreetly wipe his cheeks and Chidi pretended he didn’t see it.

“You know, what you just did was pretty shirty,” he began, then clenched his jaw. “Fork this censor crab.”

“Shirty?” William asked, his voice trembling. “Shirty? That woman is the reason I died! Do you seriously expect me to just roll with it?”

“She isn’t and you know it,” Chidi said. “She didn’t kill you, that car did.”

“ _ She _ walked in front of it!”

“She had every right to do so, the light was green. If you walked just a little faster, it would have hit you just the same. It was the car’s fault, not hers,” Chidi insisted. “And besides, you  _ chose _ to save her. Failing is another thing, but you made a conscious choice. A good choice! You tried to save a life!”

“And what did I get for it, hm?” William asked. “I had a life on Earth!”

“So did Liselotte!” Chidi raised his voice, startling him. “Everybody here did. Me, Eleanor, the two girls from the alpaca farm,  _ everyone _ . And we lost them. Whatever we had, it’s gone. But you can’t tell me that what you got in return isn’t worth it. You get to live in the house of your dreams, surrounded by people that think like you, in the  _ perfect world. _ Are you seriously going to spend an eternity benching about it?”

William stayed silent for a moment. “All my life I loved one woman, and then I found out she wasn’t the one. The one is someone who took me away from her. It just feels like the universe is mocking me.”

“I’m sorry you feel like that, but that’s just the way it is. You’re here because this is where you’re meant to be. Liselotte is  _ who _ you’re meant to be with,” Chidi said. “At least think about it. Being awful to your soulmate is not gonna do anything for you. Not only is it a shirty thing to do in general, but to her specifically! If you really don’t want to be with her, which I think is… dumb… at least be nice to her. Take this plant, take care of it and maybe… maybe you’ll change your mind.”

“Can I be alone now?” William asked. “I… I need to think.”

“Of course,” Chidi nodded. “I’ll go. You do your thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this an evil thing to do? It kind of feels evil.


	10. The aftermath

Those following days that Liselotte spent alone with her own thoughts again felt like purgatory. She contemplated her entire existence and for a moment, she even considered the possibility of actually being in the Bad Place and William being her torturer, forcing her to watch everyone else be happy. Everyone around her denied that theory, but Liselotte couldn’t bring herself to trust them, not after William’s horrible words. They might not have seemed like that much, but they stung her to the heart, spreading pain like venom through her system.

  
She spent nearly all her time in the garden now, obsessively caring for all her produce. She neatly trimmed off the branches of all the fruit trees and bushes, picking out every dry leaf, she weeded out all of the strawberry patches, she planted more vegetables. When she ran out of things to tend to and indulge in, she asked Janet for a bunch of chickens and made them a lovely coop, letting them roam freely around the garden and trusting they would leave the strawberries and herbs alone. They turned out to be great companions, even willing to let her hold them like cats. But unfortunately, not even the chickens could occupy her mind enough. She ended up building feeders and shelters for the forest animals and essentially setting up a rescue station for those who were injured or weak. Eleanor joked that she was like a Disney princess, attempting to cheer her up at least a little, but it completely went past her.

  
She kept herself so busy that by the end of the day, when she got back to her house, she just collapsed to the bed and fell asleep, sometimes not even changing from her work clothes. When she woke, she took a shower, changed and the cycle could begin again. It didn’t bring her that much joy as she thought it would, but it kept her mind off the soulmate issue.

  
William, on the other hand, could barely concentrate on anything. Although he thought getting some work done in the garden could help him ease his mind, no matter how hard he tried, the guilt always crept up to him. Well, it wasn’t really guilt in the beginning, it started off as burning anger, but it slowly turned into sorrow. He couldn’t decide who to feel bad for - Coralie, for having to live on Earth still while he had the literal paradise at his disposal? Himself, for losing his life? Liselotte, for ruining everything for her? The last option was the strongest one, even though he pretended not to care. Although he didn’t have any experience with succulents and cacti, he tried his best to keep the poor little plant alive by keeping it in the sun and carefully watering it. It took him a few days to realise that the pot was the same colour as her dress were that day, and it made him feel even worse. She was so excited to meet him, so hopeful, and he just took it all away and stomped on it.

  
He thought about Chidi’s words over and over again, the guilt eating him alive. Finally, he decided he wanted to know more.  
“Janet?” he called softly one evening.

  
_Bloop!_ “Good evening!”

  
“Hi, Janet,” he greeted her politely, toying with the engagement ring that he couldn’t bring himself to stop wearing. “Can I ask you about Liselotte?”

  
“Of course,” she smiled. “What would you like to know?”

  
“Chidi implied she went through a lot,” he said. “On Earth. I… I’d like to know what kind of person she is.”

  
“Of course,” Janet agreed. “How about I play you a film about her life?”

  
“Uh… sure,” he nodded. The flat TV screen switched itself on, showing a video of a small girl with her parents. They were walking down the street of a town that faintly resembled the neighbourhood.

  
“Liselotte Adora Falk, born on the 12th of August 1989 in Ærøskøbing, Denmark,” Janet spoke, making it look like a David Attenborough documentary. “Her mother was Oleanna Falk, she was from the town. Her father is Ryan Taylor, coming from London. They met in Copenhagen-”

  
“Maybe skip a few years ahead,” William smiled to himself.

  
“Of course,” Janet said, the footage speeding up. “Oleanna commited suicide when Liselotte was five years old and her family banished Ryan with the child back to London, believing that he was the reason she died.”

  
“Oh God,” William whispered as the TV showed the young girl attending her own mother’s funeral.

  
“In London, Ryan faced many issues as a single father of a child that was not the same race as him,” Janet continued, showing footage of Liselotte and her dad struggling around London. Changing flats constantly, people treating them like nothing more than a rock on the sidewalk. Sharing tiny spaces with people who did their best to pretend they didn’t even exist.

  
“When she was ten, she got her first job,” Janet said. The screen now showed schoolgirl Liselotte delivering newspapers each rainy morning before going to class, later getting in trouble for being late often. The school even attempted to take her away from her father numerous times. He watched her get bullied by both white and black children and walk home on her own with her thick hair full of gum and her clothes stained by their lunches. He saw as she got deathly sick and no one cared - the only thing on their mind seemed to be their need to belittle her. Lifting her skirt, screaming slurs at her, spitting at her. He realised with horror that it was a thing that never left her throughout her entire life - harassment was her daily bread, and it went so far that at one point, he watched through Liselotte’s eyes as a man took advantage of her in a dark alley, desperately wanting to look away but not quite being able to. Janet’s commentary became a white noise in the background of the horrid pictures.

  
But somehow, she pressed on. She never gave in to the pain, she never turned her back on the world or tried to get revenge. No matter the amount of struggles the world threw at her, when they were over, she shook it off as best as she could and continued living.

  
William found himself crying his eyes out and his heart heavy with guilt. “I forked up,” he whispered to himself. “I forked up so hard.”

  
“You can still fix it,” Janet said. “As you have just seen, Liselotte has the ability to forgive. You have a chance.”

  
“Do I?” he asked, sniffing. “I looked at her, spat in her face and basically told her I never wanted to see her again.”

  
“You have a literal eternity to fix your mistake, William,” she told him. “If you truly feel you did wrong, and if you just as truly want to make it up to her somehow, you can.”

  
“Do you really think so?”

  
“William, I don’t think so. I know so. And I know literally everything, so you can trust me.”

  
“Thank you, Janet,” he said. “You’re… you’re amazing.”

  
“That’s the point of me,” she smiled. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  
“No, that’s it. Thank you.”

  
“I wish you a good night then.”

  
With another _bloop_ , she disappeared, leaving William alone with his guilt, that was slowly turning itself into hope. Little by little, the darkness that he himself created, lit up by little fairy lights.


	11. Epilogue

The next day, after William got dressed, and after he tended to his flower garden, with his heart beating rapidly, he set off to find Liselotte again. He considered asking Janet for help again, but in the end, he decided to go on his own. He remembered the first day, when he simply thought about his destination and his feet simply carried him there. As soon as he stepped out of the house, he knew where to go. He followed a narrow path leading him out of town, through a lavender field that made him sneeze furiously. When he crossed it, he had to take a break to calm his angry nose down. Then he took a deep breath and walked up a hill through the beautiful forest around him. He inhaled the scent of fallen leaves and pine needles, he listened to a stream bubbling somewhere deep within. On the top of the hill, he saw a house sitting amidst the branches of a massive oak tree. Upon closer inspection, he realised the only way up was by climbing a hanging ladder.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he mumbled to himself. He decided to be a little romantic, or to at least try and to throw a pebble to her window. As he was searching for an ideal one, however, he realised she wasn’t in the house. He spotted her on the other side of the hill, kneeling next to a strawberry patch and crawling around on all four in the search for ripe fruits. He carefully walked down towards her, his brain setting itself into panicked frenzy as the distance between them became smaller and smaller.

She only noticed him when he was nearly in front of him, that’s how she was immersed in herwork. She looked up at him and an expression that was a mix of pain and anger flew acrossher face. She put a handful of strawberries into her basket and stood, wiping her hands on her trousers.

“I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me,” she said instead of a greeting, shoving her hands into her pockets.

“Listen, I-”

“No, you listen,” she interrupted him, pointing at his face. “You think I wanted this? That I jumped in front of that car because I wanted you to die trying to save me? That I wanted you to lose what you had on Earth? That I wanted to spend an eternity with someone who blames me for everything? Can you imagine what it feels like?” she spat accusing words at him like cobra spits its venom. “All my goddamn life I’ve been the one to blame, the one to scream at, the one to despise and all I ever wanted was to find somewhere to belong. I spent years trying to find someone to care. And then…” her voice trembled, her throat tightening. “Then finally, finally I find a place I’m supposed to fit in, with people like me, and I find out I even have a soulmate. And then I meet that soulmate and you know what I find then?” she took a pause and inhaled deeply. “I find that he hates me too. Just like everyone else.”

"Liz-"

“Don’t call me that!” she yelled. “It’s a lie, my entire life has been a lie! They called me Liz when they needed something from me, when they wanted me to believe they cared. And they didn’t!” her eyes burned with tears that blurred her vision. “They never gave a fork! As soon as they got what they wanted, boom! I was Falk, I was nerd, fat ash, front desk girl, you over there, that bench, hey-”

“Please-”

“I was treated like shirt, okay? But I kept going! I kept telling myself that they were just ashholes, that I was a good person!” she never allowed him speak. “But now, even the person who is supposed to be my soulmate hates me. It got me thinking, you know?” she sobbed.

“Maybe I was wrong. Maybe… maybe I deserved all that shirt that they threw at me every chance they got. Maybe I am worthy of nothing but hatred. Maybe I’m not here to live in paradise, maybe-”

Before she could finish the sentence, William pulled her to him, embracing her in a tight hug.

“What are you- Let go of me! William-” she struggled against his grip with all her anger fuelled might, but he was too strong.

“Liselotte, I’m so sorry I made you feel that way,” he said, his voice soft and gentle. She still fought the hug, but he could feel her giving up gradually. “I was horrible to you. I was selfish and cruel, I didn’t care that you might be fighting your own battle. You didn’t deserve that. You aren’t worthy of hatred. No one should treat you like shirt, no one should call you a bench, or any of the things you said.”

Now she was crying into his chest, tears soaking his shirt, sobbing in despair. “Janet told me all about you. Who you were and what you’ve been through. You were… you are an incredible person and you deserve to be treated as such. I’m so sorry about the things I said. And I hope…” he ran his fingers through her hair, resting his cheek against the top of her head. He realised how perfectly she fit into his arms, like she was always meant to bethere. Well, she was. “I hope we can still find a way to each other. I understand that it will take much longer now that I hurt you like this, but… one can never stop dreaming, eh?”

She remained silent, finally standing still and her breathing somewhat calm, despite sobs still escaping her lips.

“Can you ever forgive me?”

Liselotte took a few deep breaths, then looked up at him. Her cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes red and puffy and full of pain.

“Do you mean everything you said?”

“Of course I do. I might be a jerk, but I’m no liar. I am truly sorry.”

She watched his sorrowful expression for a moment. “I mean… It would be pretty dumb to spend eternity hating my own soulmate,” she took a short pause. “But… I will need some time. It hurt like a bench, you know.”

“Of course,” William nodded. “Soulmates?” he offered her his pinky finger.

Liselotte smiled and dried her cheeks, hooking her finger with his.

“Soulmates.”


End file.
